Sony Hack Attack: “The Interview” Pulled Out Of Theaters

Sony Pictures Entertainment has been under the gun for over four weeks, due to the major mysterious hack by the group calling themselves “Guardians of Peace.”

So far the attack had been limited to corporate executives of the company with tens of thousands of mails being leaked along with lawsuits that could plummet Sony down its head, but the hackers have now advanced to moviegoers by threatening them of violence equivalent to that of 9/11.

While the Department of Homeland Security is maintaining that there is “no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theaters,” it is still analyzing messages from the group.

Moreover, law enforcement is ramping up security as a precaution nevertheless. The threats have even forced Sony to allow theaters to cancel showings of “The Interview” by Sony Entertainment which has been one of the prime targets of the hackers in order to bring the company down.

“Unfortunately, there is a lot of uncertainty that this brings into play for all exhibitors this holiday season,” B. Riley analyst Eric Wold said. “The question is whether or not moviegoers are willing to see another movie in its place … or if this box office and associated attendance is just a loss.”

The hackers have released over 32,000 emails of over 50,000 employees, that range from financial figures to salacious emails between top Sony executives, calling it the beginning of a “Christmas gift.”

This led to lawsuits being filed against Sony for not informing the employees that their sensitive data like SSN, salaries and medical records had been stolen, and not tightening up its defenses when the company knew it was vulnerable. As a result, Sony now faces tens of millions of dollars in damages from the class-action lawsuit.

Conspiracy theories are circulating around from one aspect to another, where one links North Korea to the Sony hacking because “The Interview” revolves around two television journalists involved in a CIA plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Los Angeles Police Chief, Charlie Beck, said his department is taking the threats very seriously, and planning to take extra precaution during the holidays.

In their warning on Tuesday, the hackers suggested Sony employees to make contact via several disposable email addresses ending in yopmail[dot]com. Founder of yopmail site said there was no way he could identify the users.